Moving towards a decent and person-centred social care model

Introduction : Current trends in dependent care models are committed to a more participatory and person-centred integrated social care model, focussed on preserving their rights, wants, dignity and quality of life. To achieve this model centred on the person and their needs, a framework for action must be created that facilitates on-going progress in professional practice, in the new definition of roles and organisational models, to afford ambitious responses to the needs of dependent elderly people. Description: objective and methodology: To promote a multi-centre training and support programme in implementing good practices in person-centred integrated care in six nursing homes in Catalonia. To jointly develop practical strategies to implement person-centred integrated care in the six participating institutions, with the aim of implementing good practices, rethinking the organisational, professional and relationship domains with families and users. In a first phase, the guidance plan is initiated in a context of collaborative and cooperative learning between six participating centres, through theoretical-practical face-to-face sessions of a quarterly nature, led by the Catalan Healthcare and Social Services Consortium (CSC) and with the support of an expert consultant and reference point in the realm of person-centred care in Spain. At the same time, each centre creates the figure of a promotion team that, representing all the professional categories, will be responsible for managing the change of care model in each of the centres, through the planning, scheduling, coordination and evaluation of the implementation of the new plan. This methodology facilitated the execution of joint work by all the promotion teams and the development of basic skills such as: training, awareness raising and capacity building of professionals in their skills and attitudes in order to significantly reduce resistance to organisational changes in the centres and to fully ensure institutional improvement towards the new model. Results : The experience we have undertaken in the CSC in 2014-2015 shows that participating organisations have improved their care model, achieving significant progress as regards quality by means of instruments and good practices that guarantee personalised care oriented towards exercising the rights of the elderly living in nursing homes. In the six facilities, a minimum of two good practices have been implemented, focussing on five areas of improvement: the exercise of rights; the participation of users, families and the professional team; psychological and emotional wellbeing; professional intervention and organisational systems; the physical environment and integration into the community. One hundred per cent of the participating organisations give a highly positive appraisal of the project and affirm that they would commit once again to a multi-centre initiative like this one, given the increase in satisfaction from their users and, at the same time, the creation of a space for critical reflection as regards social wellbeing with the goal of pooling the efforts of all participants for the common good in terms of dependence in Catalonia. Conclusions : The manner in which the elderly who are institutionalised perceive things, feel and relate to one another can be improved, and strategies must be fostered that dignify the current social model and take the wants, preferences and life history of those who are dependent into consideration. Moreover, this approach can be adopted in many facilities and in a collaborative manner, fostering common learning, awareness raising and training amongst professionals, as well as changes in professional and organisational roles.